Wicca for beginners
A beginners guide to the Craft
There are a lot of commonly asked questions about Wicca…
We will explore some of the most commonly asked questions and misconceptions about this religion.
Q: Is Witchcraft a religion?
A: Yes. Witches reverence the ‘Old Gods’, the pre-Christian deities of Europe.
Q: Is Witchcraft a cult?
A: No. A ‘cult’ is generally classed as a gathering of people who owe blind allegiance to one charismatic leader who represents ‘truth’. Witchcraft is the complete opposite of this and most witches come to the Craft through reading and nature, finding a like- minded group of individuals.
Q: Are Witches only all women?
A: No, There are equal numbers of women and men in the Craft, as the working of God and Goddess is usually stressed in the rituals. Some traditions such as ‘Dianic’ admit only women and there are some male only covens.
Q: Do Witches cast spells?
A: Since a commonly held belief is that what is sent out is returned to the sender, perhaps magnified 3 fold, Witches tend to be very careful with spells. A spell is a formula or series of steps to direct the will to a specific end. Energy is drawn from the Earth, concentrated and sent out into the world. Through the use of natural psychic power, it is believed that with the proper training and intent, human minds and hearts are capable of performing all of the magic and miracles they are ever likely to need.
Q: Do Witches have a bible?
A: No. Wicca is derived from Pagan folk-religion, and as a mystery path, it stresses individual experience under the guidance of the Gods. A witch may keep a ‘Book of Shadows’, which contains rituals, discoveries, spells, poetry, herbal lore etc.. of interest to that person. Covens may keep a similar group book, but there is no one document taken by all Wiccans as authoritative. The ‘Book of Shadows’ contains the rites which are a ‘shadow’ of the personal experience they represent.
Q: Do all Witches practise their religion in the same way?
A: Yes and no. Wicca is a highly individualistic religion which contains a minimum of official principles concerning faith, combined with a maximum of choice. The only rule is ‘If it harm done, do as you will’. However, most traditions share many similarities such as a reverence for Nature and the working of magic.
Q: Do Witches take part in Satanism or Black Magic?
A: No, this is one of the most common misconceptions. Satan is a Christian concept and no part of Wicca. As for black magic, Witches believe that evil rebounds threefold upon the evil doer. There is no incentive to perform evil.
Q: Do Witches worship the Devil?
A: Absolutely not. The concept of the Devil, the personification of a supreme spirit of evil, is a creation of Jewish and Christian theology. As such, it postdates Pagan religion. The worship of Satan is is a Christian concept, rather than an independent religion. Wicca is derived from the Pagan religions of Europe. It has nothing to do with Christianity, it’s Gods or demons. When Christians started to persecute the followers of Horned Gods such as Faunus, Pan and Cernunnos, Satan began to be depicted with horns and hooves. To worship Satan, one must first believe in his existence and witches don’t.
Now that we have explored some of the most common questions regarding Wicca, we will look at the history of Witchcraft and the religion in more depth. Visit our post at https://johnstarkeyclairvoyant.wordpress.com/what-is-witchcraft-2/
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John Starkey Clairvoyant 